Hi everyone,
I noticed a surprising change in my boars regarding dominance and I wonder whether this is common or not.
To provide some context: I had a cage with two boars I got from a rescue when they were around 2-3 months old. They're around 8 months old now. Izzy has been the dominant one from the start. And the other boy, Dmitri has never seriously challenged it. When they were about 4 months old and their hormones kicked in there was a bit of a struggle, but no true aggression and Izzy remained on top without much fuss. He's been rumble strutting regularly for several months, while between the two of them I had never seen Dmitri rumble strut once. He would get annoyed with Izzy occasionally and tell him to bugger off, but that was it.
Since a few months I also have a cage with two girls. Over the weekend I introduced the four of them. I knew the chances of success weren't big, but I at least wanted to try. If it failed I could always pair each boy up with a girl.
But after a bit of an uncertain start (I initially separated them because I feared it would go wrong, but after trying again and taking my time with it, it worked) they all get along fine now. I had two C&C cages which I've now turned into one big cage. It's only been a few days, but it's a promising start.
But the moment I put the boys and the girls together, Dmitri became the dominant one. And Izzy hasn't challenged it. At least not as far as I can see. No teeth chattering, no fighting, only a few nose bumps or nips that ended with a warning. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but I'm surprised at how well Izzy is taking it. Since I work from home now I can keep an eye on them and see whether anything changes.
Does this happen often? I had a lot of guinea pigs as a kid (though never two boars together) and the dominance never really seemed to change. Is there a big chance that Izzy will attempt to get on top again and if so, what should I watch out for? If necessary I can turn the cage into two cages again, but I want make sure I catch any signs of trouble in time before they get hurt.
Also, here's a picture of the four of them. The big ones are the boys and the small ones the girls.
I noticed a surprising change in my boars regarding dominance and I wonder whether this is common or not.
To provide some context: I had a cage with two boars I got from a rescue when they were around 2-3 months old. They're around 8 months old now. Izzy has been the dominant one from the start. And the other boy, Dmitri has never seriously challenged it. When they were about 4 months old and their hormones kicked in there was a bit of a struggle, but no true aggression and Izzy remained on top without much fuss. He's been rumble strutting regularly for several months, while between the two of them I had never seen Dmitri rumble strut once. He would get annoyed with Izzy occasionally and tell him to bugger off, but that was it.
Since a few months I also have a cage with two girls. Over the weekend I introduced the four of them. I knew the chances of success weren't big, but I at least wanted to try. If it failed I could always pair each boy up with a girl.
But after a bit of an uncertain start (I initially separated them because I feared it would go wrong, but after trying again and taking my time with it, it worked) they all get along fine now. I had two C&C cages which I've now turned into one big cage. It's only been a few days, but it's a promising start.
But the moment I put the boys and the girls together, Dmitri became the dominant one. And Izzy hasn't challenged it. At least not as far as I can see. No teeth chattering, no fighting, only a few nose bumps or nips that ended with a warning. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but I'm surprised at how well Izzy is taking it. Since I work from home now I can keep an eye on them and see whether anything changes.
Does this happen often? I had a lot of guinea pigs as a kid (though never two boars together) and the dominance never really seemed to change. Is there a big chance that Izzy will attempt to get on top again and if so, what should I watch out for? If necessary I can turn the cage into two cages again, but I want make sure I catch any signs of trouble in time before they get hurt.
Also, here's a picture of the four of them. The big ones are the boys and the small ones the girls.
